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Métis Research Ethics

Over the last two decades, academics around the world have been calling for a new kind of research that is indigenous-led, sensitive to the needs and aspirations of indigenous communities, and which would provide an alternative to western research ethics and methodology.

Métis have different experiences of research than First Nations or Inuit, but there is very little information on research ethics specific to Métis.  That is why we are fostering a dialogue among Métis individuals, communities and organizations on research ethics from varying Métis perspectives.  The idea is to stimulate thinking on the subject, as well as to add a Métis voice to the larger discourse on indigenous research and ethics in general.

In 2008, we hosted the meeting Research Ethics in Métis contexts.  This meeting resulted in the decision to form an ad hoc research and ethics advisory committee.  The committee was formed in late December 2008 and is in the process of discussing how to approach research ethics in a Métis context. We will generate principles or guidelines from this discussion for the purpose of guiding any research in Métis communities that we may undertake.

The first step of the Research and Ethics Advisory Committee will be to critique current Aboriginal-specific research guidelines laid out by the major funding organizations in health research.  The purpose of this critique is to gage how appropriate these guidelines are for undertaking Métis research, and if they are not, to determine what can potentially be changed to reflect the needs of Métis researchers and communities.

With input from Métis scholars and ethical experts, the Committee will develop research principles/guidelines, which will be open to further discussion.  This work is taking place alongside our academic outreach project, which is intended to increase interest in Métis research at universities across Canada.

This project aims to articulate what ethical Métis research is.  This will be accomplished by writing a critical position paper on current funding organization’s guidelines (such as those put forth by the Tri Council Policy Statement or the Canadian Institutes of Health Research) and by having discussions with Métis academics, students, and communities about what makes Métis research ethical.

Last Update: June 02 2009